1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an optical waveguide distribution device having at least one splice cassette and a plurality of couplings.
2. Technical Background
For example, in distribution cabinets for optical cables, distribution devices are used that are known from the product catalog “Accessories for OWG-cable networks, issue 2, page 227, year 2002, Corning Cable Systems GmbH & Co. KG”. The optical, waveguide distribution device shown there comprises a distribution panel which is mounted or stored in a tray-like manner in a frame or a housing, the distribution panel having a front wall, a rear wall, two side walls extending between the front wall and the rear wall, and a base wall. In the region of the front wall of the distribution panel, couplings are positioned which are formed both on an outer side of the front wall and an inner side of the front wall, so that plugs of optical waveguides can be inserted into the couplings starting both from the outer side of the front wall and from the inner side of the front wall. In such an optical waveguide distribution device, it is usual for optical waveguides, which are prefabricated at one end with a plug, to be inserted into the couplings via the plug from the inner side of the of the front wall, free ends of these optical waveguides being placed in at least one splice cassette of the distribution panel. An optical cable with further optical waveguides can be introduced into the distribution device via the rear wall of the distribution panel, it being possible to splice the optical waveguides of the optical cable with the waveguides which are inserted into the couplings of the front wall via plugs from the inner side. Splices formed between these optical waveguides are placed in a splice cassette, which, according to prior art, is connected to the base wall of the distribution panel. If splices are to be formed between optical waveguides that are to be connected to each other in such an optical waveguide distribution device, it has proved to be problematic that the optical waveguides are relatively badly accessible for splicing work, which is especially the case when a plurality of splice cassettes are stacked one above the other in the distribution panel.